What Makes A Good Promotional Video Anyway?

January 25, 2019

2019 is going to be the year of the business promotional video. Of that at least, we’re pretty confident. Throughout 2018 the buzz around video in the business world grew louder and louder, with more businesses realising that video was the key to success online. Which isn’t really a surprise, since Google pretty much told us that this was the case. So this year, we’re expecting to see a wave of promotional business videos hitting websites, YouTube and social media. In that wave will be some truly amazing videos, alongside some pretty bad ones. And the main difference will be the fact that the people creating the videos won’t have thought about what really makes a good, successful promotional video, and what they need to do to create one. So today, we’re going to share some secrets with you to help you create great promotional videos in 2019.

Narrow Your Focus

This is, in our opinion, the absolute rule 1 of any video marketing. It doesn’t matter where it will be posted or what format it will be in – you still need to be able to get your message across clearly and concisely. This means you will really need to narrow down your focus and work out who your target audience for that video is, and what you need them to know at the end of it. This will help you keep your video short, simple and to the point, which is much more likely to make it successful. This might mean that instead of creating just one video on your whole business, you break it down into a series of shorter videos, each one focussing on a different service area or product. This will not only help you market each service more effectively, but also creates a set of more versatile videos that can fit into multiple campaigns.

Sell Benefits, Not Features

This is something they teach you in sales school, and yet so many people forget about it when it comes to video. Businesses will often market the amazing features of their new product/service, and get so focused on explaining those features that they forget to mention how they might benefit the viewer. But here’s the thing. Buyers are selfish, and they don’t really care about your company. They only want to know what benefits your product/service will bring them, and if those benefits are worth opening their wallet for. Here’s a great example of a benefits-based video:

Ok, we know that example is a little bit ‘off the wall’. In fact, these videos were so popular that they soon became an internet sensation – all born from a promotional video to sell blenders.

But did you notice that at no point did he talk about the features of that super-duper blender? Instead, he just demonstrated (in an extreme way) that this blender can handle any tough food you throw at it and not break a sweat. That’s a real benefit, without any hard sell at all. Now, we’re not saying you should do something quite as extreme as breaking up an iPad and sticking it in a blender, but if you make your videos focused on benefits and not features, they will make much more of an impact on your viewers.

Production Values Do Matter!

Modern phone cameras are fantastic. We’re not disputing that at all. But just because you can take some great videos of a gig, or of a speaker at an event, doesn’t mean you should use them to promote your video. When it comes to promotional videos, production values really do matter, and your audience will always be able to tell the difference. If you can, we recommend hiring a company who specialises in promotional video and have all the right equipment to come in and help you create a really slick, professional video. But if you can’t, at least make sure your smartphone is mounted on a tripod, and use professional software to clean up the video quality in post-production. It might make the process longer, but you will get a much more successful video out of it.

Write A Great Script

Behind every great promotional video is a great script. After all, your video is made up of 2 main elements – visual and sound – and what you say in your video is a pretty important factor in how successful it is. Don’t just rock up and say the first thing that comes into your head. Sit down and plan out what you want to say and how you want to say it. Cut out the fluff and make sure your point is clear and concise. Keep it short (avoid breaking the 2-minute mark if you can) and make it compelling. And if you’re agonising over every single word with no way out – hire a professional to do it for you.

Don’t Shy Away From the CTA

You’ve gone to all the trouble of creating a promotional video for your business – which usually means you want your viewers to do something at the end of it. So tell them what it is! Once you’ve got them hooked with your fantastic video and interested in what you have to say, make sure you direct them to the next steps in the process. That could be a direct link to a shopping page for that process, to a contact page or to download something. But whatever it is, make sure you include a clear CTA that’s easy to follow, and don’t leave your viewers in the dark over what to do next.

So, now you should have a much better idea of what it takes to great a good promotional video for your business. Creating one takes careful planning, attention to detail and time to get right. Which makes them a bit out of reach for some businesses who simply don’t have the time to invest. That’s where we can help. Our experts have been making promotional videos for decades, and know exactly how to craft a promotional video that will wow your customers. From concept and storyboard to post-production and amplification, we can help you achieve your video goals for 2019, stress-free. To find out more, you can view our portfolio, or get in touch with us to book your free, no-obligation consultation.